(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a touch panel and a noise eliminating method for using the touch panel and, more particularly, the present invention relates to a method for removing noise from the touch panel.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Various input devices are currently used to execute functions in devices such as a liquid crystal display, an organic light emitting device, a portable transmitting device or other information processing devices. Recently, for example, an input device provided with a touch panel has been increasingly used.
More specifically, the touch panel is typically a device for allowing a machine, e.g., a computer, to perform a desired command by writing a character, drawing a picture, or selecting an icon by contacting a screen of the touch panel with a finger, a touch pen or a stylus, for example. Accordingly, a display device to which the touch panel is attached determines whether a user's finger (or touch pen or stylus, for example) touches a screen, as well as specific touch position information for a touch point thereof.
When a contact member such as the user's finger or touch pen, for example, contacts the screen of the touch panel, inadvertent additional contact is often made on the screen due to another portion of the user's hand touching the screen, which generates an additional touch point. Specifically, for example, an edge portion of the user's palm often touches the screen. As a result, an irregular noise, e.g., palm noise, is generated. To remove the palm noise, sensitivity of the touch panel may be decreased. However, decreasing the sensitivity adversely affects performance of the touch panel, and is generally not desirable, since touch panels typically require maximized sensitivity to operate efficiently. Accordingly, there is a need for a method of effectively removing an irregular noise from the touch panel, such as noise from a hand of a user, without decreasing sensitivity of the touch panel.